A constitutional doctrine that invalidates laws failing to provide fair notice of what conduct is prohibited or that invite arbitrary enforcement. It requires that people of ordinary intelligence can understand what behavior is forbidden.
From Latin 'vagus' (wandering, uncertain) through Old French 'vague.' The legal doctrine developed in 20th-century due process jurisprudence, emphasizing that laws must provide clear boundaries rather than 'wandering' or uncertain standards.
The vagueness doctrine protects us from laws so unclear that police and judges become lawmakers by default, deciding case-by-case what conduct is actually prohibited! Classic examples include laws banning 'annoying conduct' or 'suspicious loitering'—terms so subjective they invite discriminatory enforcement and leave citizens guessing about legal boundaries.
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